Rail



Patented Nov. 25,` 1930 n GUY F. KorRBAroF-NEW Yonmn. Y.

" j l, imputation mea Juive?, i928. `serial No. .295,706. c

This-invention relates tc` an' improvedrail,

A land more particularly to acombination rail havngafreinovable or replaceable tread. y.

d Hitherto, railroad rails in use on sections of heavy trafchave been subject'to excessive Wearat the treadportionndue to the increas- 111s Weight f trainqilipmet; which S-nOW standardfpractice throughout Vthe country;

The greateStWea-r iseXperienced byfsubvvay 1D lines inthepopulous cities of the country,

notableexample'siof which are `those of New Yorkand Boston. Inboth of these cities,"the

l subway lines`` are very tortuousQthe result being that the replacement costs `forrails used at the numerous curves is excessive due to the frequencyof such replacements.`l A classic'exampleofsuch practiceis that aforded by the Interborough "Rapid Transit Com-` pany of New vYork City at its City Hall Sta '20 tion. The averagerlife of railsused inthis particular section *of thissubwayis not over three months,y due `to `the extremely sharp curves inthe loop, a1-,fthestation.`

f An analysis of theifailures of rails under 1 2.5 conditions of use reveals the fact that sub-V stantiallyfthe entire wear ofltherail occurs at the top ortread portion. Various attempts have beenmade inthefpastto `remedy this situation byproviding rails with removable Y treads-` Theseattempts have not been suci cessful due to* a varietygofcauses, the chief i onebeingthat withfincrease ofv tonnage of rolling stockthe design `ofsuch prior art replaceable treadsihas not permitted their use, 5 the treads `not having suficient mechanical support to enable them to be retained l in `position whensubj ected to the enormous stresses above-noted. Afurther diiiculty Whichis 14:0` frequentlyv encountered is l the `attrition or Wearing down of the ends ofthe rails due to the hammering` action` of the "Wheels as. the

`V "rolling "stock" moves over thelendsfof the d together or bonding of the railends have not mitigated this trouble to any appreciable exl tent,` and'vit is common"knowledgethatfthe l r rail equipmenttmenr rlrds. @11d Stret W59 railwaysis "in poor shape' dueto Vthe condition oi'uthefrailends, Whichcondition is con-` l stantly aggravated continiied use'.

. It anobject ofthe present invention'fto' `provide vfan improved rail yvhich includes a replaceable treadgthe vvhole being so constil tuted and, arrangedas to provide awearng `surface*ofmaximum resistance to attrition stresses,` While 4beingadapted to be readily replaced Without disturbing the rail proper 'c i or itslembedment.` yi s z d p It is a Vifurther;` object4 of `this invention to provide such an improvedcombination railwith areplaceable treadwhich maybe made of Wear resistant 'metal."` c c d c l Y Yet another object of this invention is the provision of animprovedrail with a replace'- able tread, the Whole being so designed'and constituted as to provide-aconti-nuous metal@- ,lic base for the tread portions," thereby eliminating attrition of the rail treadends due tothe pounding of the rollingstock passing `ltlfiereoyer. i l

These and other desirable objects Willbe describedinthe accompanying speciiicatbn and illustrated in the' dravvings,` a preferred `embodiment beingshovvnby Way of example a only, forsincethe underlying principles may be incorporated inother speciiic` mechanical devices, it is not desired to limit this invenf .tion thereto, except as such Vlimitations` are clearly imposed by the-,appended claims.l

Y `In the drawings, like numerals refer-td similar4 parts throughout the several views", i of which@ c Fig. l isa crossLsection of an` improved c ria-i1 embOdyi-Ilee replaceable tread: i Qis a l'ongtudinal-lfrontview of as'ec tion of avrail; i `i` f f Fig. 3 s `a perspective'.` vievv l of thegvveb` member :of the combination rail, showing the recessed section forpreventing longitndinal d displacement of the rail tread; Fig. l isa view simil ed` to cooperatev vvithfthe recessed) portion" thewebrnemberg" 5 isatopfplafn view of afciirvledl sec#l tions; and

tion of afrail installationthetreads being@ shown staggered vvith respect vto the "web porfor tlie tread, designated generally by the.

numeral 5.

Section 3 of the web is provided at its up per portion with a fiat bearing surface 6 Which extends the whole length of the rail and inwardly of the web `merges' with the curved bearing surface 7 of the web extension 8 which, as shown, is a continuation of section t. Bearing surface 7 forms a groove and is continued at 9 to form a tongue portion which is provided with a fiat bearing surface 1() defining the upper limit of section 8 of the web.

Tread member 5 comprises a tread 11 terminating in curved end portions or edges 12, 13. The sides of the member 5 are extended downwardly at 14 and 15 and terminate at bearing surfaces 16 and 17, respectively, which abut bearing surfaces 6 and 10- of the web. The bearing surfaces of the tread member are continued to form the tongue and groove portions 18, 19. which. engage the groove and tongue portions 7 and 9 of the web member.

The tread member is adapted to engage the web member in interlocking relationship by means of the tongue and groove sections above described, and the separate sections are held in their optimum cooperative relationship by any suitable means, such as the bolt and nut construction, now to be described. The tread is provided with a threaded recess 20, adapted to receive a threaded bolt 21 passing through aperture 22 in the tread. This threaded aperture is positioned in a lug 22%1 of any suitable configuration, which is rolled into the tread member during its fabrication. As shown, this lug is generally rectangular in shape, although it will be understood that ment of the tread during service, and in com--` bination with the locking means now to be described, provides positive means for overcoming lateral, vertical and longitudinal movement of the tread, the combination of elements being simple, effective, and very economical, both in cost of fabrication, as well as in ease of assembly. The bolt is preferably provided with a hexagonal head 23 to facilitate its fastening and removal, although it will be understood that any other suitable configuration may be used. Interposed between the head of the bolt and section 8 of the web is a lock washer 23, adapted to retain the bolt in position and prevent its jarring loose due to vibration stresses when in use. The bolt is preferably inserted from the outside of the rail assembly, thereby securingy the full advantage of the retention of the tread member in position upon the web member due to the thrust of the Wheel flanges vof the railroad cars against surface 14 of the tread.

lVhil'e the bolt has been shown with its head projecting` beyond the outer face of the completed rail, it will of course be understood that the rail may be suitably recessed to receive the bolt head, and that such recessed construction is comprehended in the novel combination of elements of this invention.

The thrust exerted against face 14 of the tread member tends to drive the tongue and groove sections 18 and 19 into locking engagement with the groove and tongue Z and 9 of the web, and the two rail members are hel-d in this position by the bolt construction above described.y It will thus readily be appreciated that the bolt 21 is not required to undergo any appreciable tensile stress while in use other than that normally incident to lateral vibration of the whole rail structure. which in turn is essentially a function of the solidity of the embedment of the rail in or on its supports.

ln this connection, the solid steel web provides a perfectly uniform surface for the tread member and minimizes the deteriorative effects of the ordinary tie` supports, which are not at all uniform, even in the best maintained roads. That this is trueis evidenced by the present day practice of some large railroads of using concrete ties and einbedding the rails thereinin an effort to provide a maximum amount Vof stability for the rails. i y

A further highly advantageous feature of the present invention resides in the fact that by staggering the tread members with respect to the web members, there is orovided a continuous metallic bearing surface for the tread members which, in addition to minimizing vibration stresses, as noted above. substantially eliminates another very potent cause of rail destruction, namely,` that of the wearing down or attrition of the rail ends due to the pounding of the wheels when passingl over the rail joints.

Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6 it will be iti() i the numeral 30. i The inner boundaries of this area are designated by the numerals 3l Y treads are supported in good mechanical po-V sition on a continuous steel surface which aifords a maximum of smoothness, and the ends 24, 25'ofthe supporting webs are overlaid by a continuous stretch of metal whereby `both the tread ends and the web ends are given ample support and are no longer subfV ject to the attrition of pounding car wheels,A

as isusual in ordinary practice.

As has been intimated hereinbefore, the` surfaces of the treads of rails used on sharp curves are subject to heavy Wear, whereby the rails have to be renewed at'very Vfrequent intervals, involving enormous costs both lfor material, as well as for labor for maintenance.

As shown inFig. l, such Wear usually occurs at the inside surface of a rail which .isv sub# jected to therolling friction of the car wheel flanges, and on the top of the rail where the tread proper is subjected tohammering from the downwardly exerted `Weight of the rolling stock when any vertical component is `im parted thereto as occurs when any inequality "in the track or roadbed is present. This attrition of the tread Aportion, of .a rail is, clearly indicated in Fig. l where the vworn surface of a rail is shaded and designated by and `32respectively, which correspond to the extent `of the wearing forces exerted by the flange andthe tire of the wheels respectively.4

The resultant of Vthese forces-is the areaBO,

4above `described,*and any appreciable in` crease in the extent of this area'frendersthe useof a rail very ydangerous andrequires the constant replacement discussed above.

YWhere desired, `this-invention compreliends the use of structural materialsV of different characteristics in the tread and web portions of the rails. For example, the tread inembermaybe rolledfroin a high4 inanganese martensitic steel, while the base or web portion maybe rolled lfrom a cheaper i. p stock, such asany of the well-known nickel-'- or nickel-chromiumsteels, or otherfsuitable alloy steels.

It willnow be seen that there has been provided an improved combination railroad rail Y"ce having a replaceable tread, which permits the securing of marked economies in railroad operation `by the replacement of the tread of a Aworn raillinstead of theA replacement of a complete rail with its consequent.interrnp` tion totraiiic and `disruption Aofsupporting` ties and roadbed. f l

`Vhat is'claiined is:

1. .AVrail construction comprising a base i web member, al detachable tread Aportion s abutting "and overlying the entire, upper i surface `of "the web member, saidwebfmember land tread portion' having centrallycdisposed laterally p extendingyv respectivelyafabutting tapering prtions,whereby they are substan-- lment.-` i M I.

x12. A'-rail construction comprisingfa base web memberhaving a vertically offset portion, and: a lateral `shoulder onysaid portion tially locked against `relative 4vertical moveextending inwardly `and beyond the `central vertical plane of the web, a detachable `:tread overlying 'substantially' the entire upper surdepression adapted to receive the-said shoulder. in :locking engagement.

` 3. A rail construction comprising a base plate section and an integral verticalweb havinga `vertical extension on one side, and a lateral, integral tongue on said extension to form two substantially `fiat vertically `offset and c respectively overlapping bearing "surfaces of substantiallyequal width..

4.-. VA detachabletread for rails comprising "80 H fa`ce`"of'fiand` adapted ito engage said web vthroughout said surface and formed with a an integral metallic member formed withl vertically offset `flat bearing surfaces of sub-4 stantially equal width.

5. A detachable` member' for rails comprising a metallic member having a fiat top portion and aplurality ofi vertically and horizontally oiset bottom` weight bearing surfacesand formed with a curvilinear tapering depression betweensaid surfaces.

V6.A rail construction comprising a'base web member, a detachable tread member, said y membersbeing formed with integral, interlocking sections adapted to'prevent relative ing locking engagement with the other Vof said members to prevent relative longitudinal movement." y p. 7. A raillconstruction comprising a base web member, a detachable tread member, said .105 vertical movement, and means integral with one ofsaid membersextending into and hav` Y members being formed withintegral, tapered interlocking sections adapted to prevent-relative vertical movement, and detachable engagementwithleach of said membersin lateraImOVement. p Y

8. A rail construction comprising a base web member, a detachable tread member, said members `being formed with integral inter-I Vlocking sections adapted to prevent relative longitudinal movement. l

.9. A rail construction comprising a baser web member, a detachable tread member, said members being formed `with integral, inter` 'locking' sections adapted to prevent relative.` longitudinal and vertical movement;

' 10, A `rail construction comprising abase `1i"5` means extending into and having lockingV Vthe 4zone of'interlockingtoprevent relative web member, a detachable tread member, said members being formed with integral, interlocking sections adapted to prevent relative longitudinal and vertical movement, and means associated with said members to preivent relative lateral movement thereof.

l1. A rail construction comprising a base web member, a detachable tread member, said members being formed with integra-l, interlocking sections adapted to prevent relative longitudinal and vertical movement, and detachable means associated with said members to prevent relative lateral movement thereof.

In Witness whereof I ailix my signature. GUY F. KOTRBATY. 

